1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to openers designed to remove caps and extract corks from containers.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous devices exist for opening bottles. Common openers include a metal stamping with a cantilevered tab struck from one end for hooking onto the edge of a bottle cap. A conventional corkscrew may have a helical screw on one end and a crossbar handle on the other end. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 71,316.
Known cork pullers have a corkscrew and a brace arm that are pivotally connected to a handle. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,911 an arm 12 can be braced against a bottle so that handle 11 can be lifted to pull a cork using pivoted corkscrew 14. To deploy the corkscrew from its folded position, one may need to risk injury by placing a fingertip at the sharp end of the corkscrew and pulling. Alternatively, a user may take advantage of the undercut in handle 11 to grasp the corkscrew""s body. An undercut deep enough to expose the corkscrew""s body will weaken the handle. Also, the user""s hand will be exposed to the turns of the corkscrew when it is folded into the handle and the notch 16 (FIG. 2) is being used to remove bottle caps.
See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,895 (lever 8 has a bottle cap remover 14 and an undercut exposing corkscrew 2); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,282 (handle has arm 7 with cap-removing notch and an undercut that exposes pivoted corkscrew 3).
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,213,034 corkscrew 10 can be vertically adjusted using the notches in shank 11. Bucking plate 14 is used for leverage with the corkscrew. Implements 6 and 8 are made from a common plate and operate as a can-opening blade and a bottle cap remover, respectively. Applying downward pressure when screwing the corkscrew 10 will be difficult since the corkscrew is located at the very end of handle 1. Also, if the user tries to place a hand near the corkscrew""s pivot pin 3, the user""s hand will be placed against the sharp blade 6. See also U.S. Pat. No. 204,389 (crossbar B turns corkscrew through jointed shaft that would tend to fold when downward pressure is applied to the corkscrew).
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,695,098 a bottle opener is in the form of an elongated shell having a hook at one end for grasping the underside of a bottle cap. This hook is integral with the shell and is unsupported so that hook will tend to bend during use. This device also incorporates a corkscrew that is pivoted about a transverse axis near the center of the shell. Swinging the corkscrew from a retracted stored position will be difficult since the corkscrew will be buried inside the shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,218,757 shows a bottle opener having a corkscrew at one end, and a hook for removing a bottle cap on the other end. A tube that sheathes the corkscrew can be removed and inserted though a hole at the hooked end to serve as a handle for working the corkscrew. Forming a hole in the hooked end unnecessarily complicates and lengthens the hooked end. Moreover, the tube and corkscrew can be separated and misplaced. See also U.K. Patent Application GB 2091227 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,164,191.
For the corkscrew of U.S. Pat. No. 1,670,199, a conventional T-shaped structure was supplemented with an annular groove, so that the device can also be used to remove a conventional bottle cap. Again, the tube and corkscrew can be separated and misplaced. See U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,994 for another combined corkscrew and bottle cap remover. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,714,409 and 5,285,543.
Another known bottle opener employed a metal tube notched at one end to provide a lip that can be used to remove a bottle cap. A disadvantage with this device is that the lip must be provided by an undercut and the entire device unnecessarily has the same strength as the lip. Also, this device lacks a corkscrew accessory. Furthermore, the device is not easily fabricated.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,644 a notched rectangular tube is fitted with a tab 20 for removing a bottle cap. A corkscrew stored inside the tube can be removed and inserted in transverse holes in the tube, which then acts as a handle for the corkscrew. A disadvantage with this arrangement is that the tube and corkscrew can be separated and one of them can be misplaced. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,600 (bottle opener with discrete blade).
See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,902,226; and 5,169,305.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved opener that is relatively effective and employs a convenient and efficient structure.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a container opener with a handle, a corkscrew and arm. The corkscrew and the arm are each pivotally attached to the handle. The handle has between a first and a second end a pair of sidewalls. The handle has a cap remover at the first end. The corkscrew can swing about a corkscrew axis between a deployed position and a stored position that is located between the sidewalls. The corkscrew in its stored position is shielded along at least most of its length. The corkscrew axis is closer to the second end than the first end. The arm can swing about an arm axis, which is closer than the corkscrew axis to the second end. The arm can operate as a fulcrum for the handle.
According to another aspect of the invention, a container opener includes a handle having an underside with a concavity, a topside, and a cap remover on the topside. Also included is a corkscrew that is pivotally attached to the handle for swinging about a corkscrew axis between a deployed position and a stored position located inside the concavity. The opener also has an arm pivotally attached to the handle to swing about an arm axis.
By employing apparatus of the foregoing type, an improved container opener is achieved. A preferred embodiment employs a handle that has on its topside a notch with a metal tab that operates as a cap remover. Preferably, a corkscrew is mounted on a pivoted block and can swing into a concavity in the handle for storage. When moved into the storage position, a boss in the preferred block can snap into a hole in the handle. A preferred bracing arm is also pivoted to the handle and can swing into a closed position to cover the stored corkscrew. The arm can fit over the corkscrew and a ledge on the arm can fit into notches in the handle. The block and corkscrew can be deployed by pressing a stub on the block through an access hole in the handle. After the corkscrew is screwed into a bottle cork, the arm""s ledge can be placed against the mouth of a bottle, so that the handle can be used as a lever to pull a cork out of a bottle.